Trump to sign sanctions bill on Russia this week: Pence

Tbilisi, Aug 1 (IANS) US President Donald Trump will sign the sanctions bill on Russia this week, visiting Vice President Mike Pence said here on Tuesday at a press conference with Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili.

Commenting on the current US-Russian relations, Pence said that the new sanctions bill on Russia that Trump will sign this week will be a clear message to all allies that US will do exactly what it has said, Xinhua news agency reported.

The sactions bill, which was overwhelmingly approved by the US Senate by a vote of 98-2 on Thursday, targets Russia for its alleged intervention in Ukraine and meddling in the 2016 US presidential election, which Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied in public.

Putin on Sunday hit back at the sanctions by demanding the US cut its embassy and consulate staff in Russia by 755 people, regarded as Moscow’s most aggressive move against Washington since the final years of the Cold War.

Pence arrived here late Monday for a two-day visit, which will be followed by a trip to Balkan country of Montenegro, the newest member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.